“You made sure not to put hay in Alex’s right?” Fluttershy inquired for what had to be the sixth time as Spike prepared the last batch of pancakes. “I don’t want him to get an upset stomach or worse from eating something he shouldn’t.”

Spike rolled his eyes with his head turned away, but he couldn’t help smiling a little. “It’s been kept out, Fluttershy. Just like I didn’t put any gem flakes in any of the pancakes for you instead of all the berries. Pinkie and Twilight came up with a great batter that allowed shedded hay to be added in-pan.”

“Thank you.” Fluttershy smiled, nuzzling his head. “I’ll have to make you something nice. Maybe a little gem muffin? I know Rarity wouldn’t mind sparing a few gems.”

“That does sound nice, but no rubies. For some reason they taste odd after baking.” Spike did his best not to pull away from Fluttershy’s nuzzling despite the fact that it made his scales itch slightly. “Give me another minute and his will be done, then I can start on mine if nobody wants another helping.”

“Alright, Spike.” Pulling away, Fluttershy took her seat at the table in the next room. “Spike says your food will be right out,” she told Alex, wrapping a wing around him. “And I made sure he didn’t put any hay in yours.”

“And you’ve done it every time you’ve heard the pan sizzle since he brought out the last plate for one of you ladies.” Alex stated flatly, with his face in his hands. “I mean, it’s great that you don’t want me to choke or throw up from something we know I can’t digest, but six times is excessive.”

“Sometimes Spike can be forgetful,” Fluttershy countered, nuzzling his cheek. “I just want you to have a nice breakfast with the rest of us.”

“Spike is just a baby dragon after all, Alex. It’s not uncommon for children to just forget to do something.” Rarity spoke up while examining her stack of pancakes after Pinkie’s recent statement. “Sweetie Belle has forgotten things so many times, and I shall not even speak of her cooking here.”

“He walks and talks just fine to me,” Alex countered, looking up at Rarity. “Unless he’s got invisible diapers or something magical like that?”

“Dragons aren’t even considered adults until after their first century-long nap, Alex, and Spike can’t be that old at all if he’s still that short.” Fluttershy responded with another squeeze as she heard the sizzle of the pancake being flipped over.

“That sounds like a crappy deal to be a dragon,” Alex said, patting her head. “Poor guy doesn’t even have wings. You sure he isn’t a wyrm or something like that?”

“Oh, no he’s definitely a dragon. Wyrms are much thinner as babies, and have longer legs.”

“Shouldn’t somepony wake Twilight up? Looks ta me like she’s about ta drown in her whipped cream.”

Alex whistled, reaching out to poke at Twilight’s nose. “Reminds me of the after exam party a friend of mine threw at med school. I don’t remember that night at all. I got the impression I slept with someone but I never figured out if that was true or not.”

“Wow, you’re serious?” Rainbow Dash laughed a little. “I guess there must be a few cool eggheads out there if one of them threw a party so hard you couldn’t remember having sex or not.”

“You won’t be doing anything like that for a very long time,” Fluttershy said firmly, pulling Alex closer to her. “And when you do, you’ll be drinking responsibly. Is that understood, young man?”

“I could be back in med school in a few years as long as I can catch up on your history and such quick enough, but I promise no drinking until I’m old enough.” He reached out and gave Twilight’s nose one last quick poke.

“Huh? I’m pancake!” Twilight bolted awake, lifting her head from her stack of pancakes only to have one fully impaled on her horn and thus rise into the air. She blinked drowsily, and lifted the obscuring breakfast treat from her eyes. “I mean, awake. Ehehe... rough night.”

“Really? I was awake as late as you were last night, Twilight, and I’m still full of energy. You finally fell asleep right after Spike brought out the first full stack.” Pinkie stomped on the edge of her plate, flipping all of her pancakes into the air before deftly moving underneath to catch all of them in her mouth at once.

“Did she really just do that?” Spike asked as he placed Alex’s stack in front of him. “C’mon, Pinkie. Yours took forever to top with everything you wanted, you could at least chew.”

“Thanks.” Alex grabbed the syrup, liberally applying it to his pancakes. “So, can I ask you something?”

Pinkie suddenly spat out a measuring spoon, one which landed sticking up with the cupped end pointing at the ceiling in the middle of Alex’s plate. “I win!” This earned her a glare from Rarity, who had moved beside Twilight, and one from Fluttershy as well.

“Uh, sure I guess,” Spike said, pulling his eyes away from Pinkie’s odd display. “I’m like an open book, don’t be afraid to ask me anything!”

“How long is this babying treatment going to last? I mean, I know I’ve only been here a few days and you guys don’t really understand just how durable humans are, but the fact that she bugged you six times about my pancakes…”

“Dude, I’m sixteen and Twilight still calls me a baby because dragons live practically forever. Get used to it.” Spike hopped up and snatched the measuring spoon off the top of Alex’s stack. “On the bright side, at least you know more about your species than I do. Not many books on dragons.”

Alex stared down at him for a moment before speaking. “You’re sixteen? Shit man, that sucks.”

“Alex, language!” Fluttershy chided as a discussion on the other side of the table turned towards Twilight’s recent sleeping issues. “Especially around Spike.”

Spike muttered under his breath before walking back towards the kitchen. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the kitchen making my own breakfast.”

“You want some company?” Alex called, popping a piece of pancake into his mouth. “I can be pretty fun to have around. You can just ask Discord.”

“Yeah, sure. I know you aren’t going to treat me like a baby at least.”

“I’ll be back,” Alex said to Fluttershy before gathering up his plate and making his way into the kitchen. Leaning on a wall, he watched Spike work. “Where’d you learn to cook anyway?”

“Celestia’s castle chef taught me a lot about pastries, and nearly everything else was from my mom.” Spike quickly mixed a clawful of gem flakes into a second, smaller bowl of batter than the large one that was sitting on a counter away from the stove. “Pinkie though, half of her recipes are close to royal chef level talent.”

“And your mom, I take it, is Twilight’s mom?” Alex asked, taking another bite of his pancakes. “Great pancakes too. Way better than IHOP. You could open a restaurant with skills like this.”

“Eh, she’s close enough to being my mom even if it was Twilight who hatched me. She was a little too young to start taking care of me back then, and she’s more like a sister at this point even if she is my ‘legal guardian.’” The batter seemed to glitter as he poured a healthy amount into the pan.

Taking a moment to eat another bite, Alex spoke. “Some people will tell you that blood is thicker than water. But, in my experience, blood doesn’t make family. It’s the people you love that matter; not some random accident of genetics.”

“Huh. I hadn’t thought about that too much. I didn’t even think about that after finding out most dragons are complete jerks.” He turned away from the stove for a moment to grab a few chocolate chips to sprinkle in before the batter became too firm in the pan. “Then again, I also don’t even know if any of my family members are still alive or not, on the dragon side anyways.”

“Ever wanna find out?” Alex asked, putting his empty plate on the counter. “Ask em why you grew up with ponies?”

Spike shakes his head slowly “Nah. After everything that happened with Peewee’s egg I’m pretty sure they’d just point to other dragons and shrug or something.”

A knock was heard on the door moments before it cracked open and Rarity stuck her head in. “Oh Spikey-wikey, could you be a dear and take Twilight to the spa when you’re done with your breakfast? We want to make the castle feel better and more homey for Twilight while she takes some time for some much-needed relaxation after the whole Tirek and Starlight week of horribleness.”

“Uh, sure, Rarity, I-I can do that!” Spike smiled at her, swooning ever so slightly. “How long do you want her there for?”

“Oh, just a couple hours for us to spruce the place up should do, but I’ll give you a few dozen bits so you can go as long as you or she wants to, okay? Oh, and come back to take a look before she’s done.”

“Uh, you want me to do anything in this plan?” Alex asked, rubbing his neck. “What exactly do you plan on doing to the castle? You buying like curtains and stuff like that or?”

“Well, we’re going to spruce the place up,” Rarity replied, glancing over her shoulder. “This castle, while magnificent, has a very... impersonal touch. Twilight just needs it to feel like a home.”

“Alright, so take Twilight to the spa, make sure I get a treatment shorter than hers and come back before hers ends to check in and make sure everything’s good? I can do that, but it’ll be a while before I’m done eating. I like to savor my food.”

“Wonderful, Spike. Thank you ever so much for the assistance.” Rarity smiled at spike before looking back towards Alex. “I’m sure you could help your mother out with her ideas. I know Fluttershy’s perfectly capable of doing her own things, but that way she wouldn’t be worried about you getting hurt with, or by, one of us.”

Alex sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. “Why am I not surprised? Fine, I’ll help Fluttershy with whatever she’s got planned. Have a good time, Spike.” Patting his shoulder, Alex moved past Rarity and made his way over to Fluttershy.

“Did you and Spike have a nice chat?” Fluttershy asked, gathering up everyone’s dishes. “It makes me feel good to know you’re making friends.”

“He’s a nice guy,” Alex offered, taking a few dishes into his hands. “So, whatcha got planned for the castle? Some throw pillows and nice blankets?”

“Actually I was thinking about bringing some animals in and helping put a little nature in here. It’s so stark and lifeless. I can see why Twilight is having problems feeling at home.”

“Uh, that’s a terrible idea. Twilight doesn’t seem like the kind of person to want a lot of animals around here,” Alex replied, walking with her to the kitchen. “I mean, I get it. We live with a bunch of animals, but that’s us.”

“Oh, you think so? She does have an owl that lives with her and sometimes helps her out when she’s working on projects late at night though. Owliscious.”

“Then, why don’t we set something up for him?” Alex offered, putting the dishes in the sink. “Ton of rooms here, could make one of them just for him.”

“That does sound like a really good idea.” Fluttershy looked around the room for a bit. “Maybe we could get some flowers for some of the rooms too. They’re both decorative and a convenient snack if we’ve missed a meal, which is something I know Twilight does on occasion.”

“That’s not bad. You know which are her favorite?” Turning away from her, he watched the others zip about the room. “For that matter, any idea what they’re doing?”

“Well, little filly, Ah’m gonna give this big ol’ castle some rustic charm! Put some hay bales and crates in here! Maybe even a saplin’! It’ll be like home in no time!” Applejack explained, wearing a large grin.

Alex’s face shifted into a frown quickly, partially from the ‘filly’ comment, but also because that seemed like a really stupid idea. “Uhhh, did her old home have...any of that in it? She’s much more the bookworm and scientific type from everything I’ve heard.”

“Well no...” Applejack admitted, regarding him thoughtfully. “But Sweet Apple Acres has them and it’s the most welcoming homestead there is!”

“But it’s a farm. Twilight isn’t a farmer.” Alex’s eyes wandered for a moment before he snapped his fingers. “Kitchen! That kitchen looked really bare. Maybe you could make the kitchen look more like the one in your home?”

“Ya know, that ain’t a half bad idea. Shoot! Ah’m gonna give it a try! Thanks, Alex!” Tipping her hat, Applejack galloped out of the room.

Sighing, Alex rubbed his temples. “I get the feeling the others have really poor ideas too. I’m going to check with them before I help you out, alright, Fluttershy?”

“Oh, okay. I’ll just head out and get some potted flowers from the market if you’re going to stay here. I won’t be gone long.” She flew up relatively quickly and gave Alex a quick kiss on the forehead before slowly flying out of the room.

Alex blushed, fighting the urge to wipe his forehead. “Right. Stop stupid decisions. Hey, Dash! What are you doing for Twilight’s castle?” Walking over, he nearly went cross eyed as she flitted about the room.

“I was thinking of bringing in some sports stuff, some trophies, a few wonderbolts posters. Oh, maybe that picture of me winning the Best Young Fliers competition!” She grinned widely as she mentioned that. “That’d be kinda awesome to bring here since everypony was there.”

“Okay, that’s the most narcissistic thing I’ve ever heard someone say,” Alex said plainly. Grabbing Dash’s tail, he dug his heels into the floor when she moved to zip away. “How about instead of that, set her up a gym? And maybe throw a few Daring Do posters up in her library? I know she likes that, been trying to get me to read them since she found out that I can read your language just fine.”

“A gym? But she’s an egg...head. Oh, wow. Wow that was really bucking stupid of me. Other than a picture to remind her of the time she cast a super-complicated spell on Rarity there was nothing even remotely about her in any of what I was thinking.” She actually facehoofs and rubs her muzzle in a way that looks like it should hurt. “Okay, so, you have a point. I’m pretty sure she lost most of her book collection in the explosion. I could get her a new boxed collection of the Daring Do series or something...and some kind of gym wouldn’t be horrible..”

“Yeah, you, Fluttershy and Applejack all had pretty bad ideas,” Alex agreed, giving a nod. “It’s like you’re all holding the idiot ball today or something.” Thinking on Dash’s words, he asked. “Where did she live before? Twilight I mean.”

“Oh, she was the town librarian. I’m surprised Fluttershy didn’t tell you about this. She lived in a tree that Tirek blew up during her fight with him. The tree was also the town library, and I know I’ve heard her talk about opening up one room here to replace that, but it’s not like I can replace all her books myself.”

“Huh. Can you tell me where the library used to be?” Alex asked, letting go of her tail. “Might get an idea of my own or something.”

Rainbow looked around the room quickly, and her eyes narrowed immediately. “Where’s Fluttershy?”

“She, ummm, she left to go to the market real quick for some flowers?”

“Haha, nope. I’m not telling you anything that’s gonna let you leave the castle without an adult at your side. You’re going to wait here and ask her, because I’m not going to make her worry because I took you somewhere.”

“And here I thought you’d treat me like an adult,” Alex scoffed. “Way to let me down, Dash.” Shaking his head, he started to walk away. “Guess I’ll just have to find it myself.”

“Much as I wish I was the element of coolness, kid, my element is loyalty, and your mom’s my oldest friend, so I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Rainbow Dash immediately zipped over to his side and began to just hover above him there.

“I’m still older than you,” Alex reminded, making his way out of the dinning hall. “But please, continue to call me kid.”

“Alex, I know Twilight told you our minority laws about non-ponies. They aren’t that much looser for ponies. I’ve been the weather manager here in Ponyville for a few years now, which required three extra years of schooling and another two years of experience on the ground. I get that the ‘hovering parent’ mentality can be annoying. You have no idea how much I feel for you on that one, but there’s a reason we do these things. Right now we don’t really know what you can and can’t do, so everypony you come across is going to be super careful about not hurting you or letting you hurt yourself.”

“Bah!” Alex dismissed, throwing his hands up. “I’m going to go crazy like this.” Trying to recall the way they had come, he moved down the hallways. “Being treated like a toddler is not fun.”

“Hey, we’re not treating you entirely like a toddler, which I assume is close to a foal. You’re not in diapers or anything like that. The only reason I’m saying ‘no’ here is because I don’t want Fluttershy worrying, rather than any concern about you. I mean, you look like you might even be able to fend off a timberwolf or two alone to me, but Fluttershy would have a fit if she heard me say that.”

“That doesn't help, Rainbow.” Managing to find his way to the front door, Alex stepped out into Ponyville. “And for the record, if you tried putting me in one, you'd find out how much it hurts to get smacked in the face by a giant key.”

“Uh, Alex, you talked to your mother, Applejack, and me, right? And we all had bad ideas, right?” Rainbow Dash darted in front of Alex and hovered there, not entirely blocking him, but pointing back into the castle. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to leave the castle before finding out what Rarity and Pinkie have in mind? We could come back to find it covered in frosting with ruby sprinkles.”

Alex narrowed his eyes, sizing Dash up. “If I was slightly more paranoid, I'd say you were all in cahoots to keep me busy or make me feel included. Should I be paranoid, Dash?”

“Eh. To be perfectly honest I know Rarity isn’t going to go completely crazy with Twilight still there, and Pinkie is never predictable. That was more my last-ditch effort to get you back in the castle so I didn’t have to follow you around.” She rolled over onto her back and proceeded to somehow fly in that position while keeping pace with him without any apparent effort. “You’re still new in town and some ponies react strangely to things they don’t know, but those who do know you would wonder why there isn’t at least one pony, adult or child, obviously helping you find your way around.”

Coming to a stop, Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. “Is it really that important to you that I stay in the castle?”

“No, but it is important to me that nopony has a reason to send in a report that Fluttershy’s colt is going around unsupervised in a place where he’s still new and wouldn’t know his way around. So you wanted to check out Twilight’s old place, right? It’s basically in the center of town, pretty darn close to the town hall. Follow me.”

“By all means,” Alex said, moving after Dash. He made a point to wave at whoever they passed, though he noted they didn't really seem to know what to make of him. “Think I should spend less time in the coat?” he asked Dash, stopping to let a cart pass.

Dash turned to look back at Alex and quickly shook her head. “I dunno, is it too warm for you or something?”

“I ask because it sort of has an intimidating air to it, ya know?” Alex shrugged, resuming his walk. “I don't want to come off as some weirdo or some crazy cult member.”

“You are literally the only being that looks like you in Equestria, as far as we know. That in itself makes you weird enough already, and I’m willing to bet half the reason ‘Shy left you in the castle was because she didn’t want a certain three flower-selling mares to see you and overreact like they do to everything.” She pulled off a few rolls and loops as she talked and flew, but almost like she didn’t even realize she was doing them rather than as an effort to show off.

“Hey, Dash!” A slightly nasal voice came from the side. An orange blur barreled towards them, coming to a stop a few inches in front of Alex's shoes. A small orange pony stood on a scooter, her tiny wings abuzz. “I've been looking all over for you!”

“Oh, hey squirt. What’s up? Why aren’t you at school already?” Dash landed quickly and gently rustled the little filly’s purple mane.

“I heard Fluttershy adopted a filly and I wanted to know if you knew anything about her!” The filly replied, just oozing enthusiasm.

“Why don’t you turn around and ask him yourself? You nearly ran him over trying to talk to me.”

“Huh?” The filly turned around, her gaze meeting Alex's legs. She moved her gaze up, openly gawking. “Whoa! I've never seen anypony like you before! You're so tall!”

“Um...thanks?” Alex raised an eyebrow while looking between the filly and Rainbow Dash. “Care to introduce us, Skittles?”

“Oh, right. Scootaloo, this is Alex, Fluttershy’s adopted son. Alex, this is Scootaloo. She’s my biggest fan in Ponyville and can do some sweet tricks with her scooter herself.”

Scootaloo frowned, something not clicking in her head. “Wait but, how can Alex be Fluttershy's son if everyone said she adopted a filly? I mean, you even sound like a filly?”

Alex frowned as well, and he quickly crouched down to be a little less intimidating. “It’s complicated enough to be a little too confusing for me to tell you everything, but this isn’t the body I was born with. I was born a male and got turned into a female when I came here, but I still consider myself male because it’s what I’ve always been.”

Holding her frown for a few moments more, excitement burst through Scootaloo's confusion. “Oh, you’re a lesbian! That's cool. My aunt's are lesbians too.”

Rainbow Dash immediately burst out laughing, and Alex stared for a moment before joining Dash in her laughter. “You know, I suppose I am a lesbian now,“ Alex conceded, giving Scootaloo's ears a light scratch. “But, that's not what I meant.”

“It’s not?” Scootaloo looked up at Dash, confusion clear on her features. “I don’t get it, I thought ponies were either male or female and that’s it, unless they use something my aunts have been talking about the last couple days.”

“Well uh...” Dash trailed off, looking to Alex for help.

“I’m not a pony, though, and I came from a different world with different rules. Something happened when I came through and I ended up in a female body instead of a male one. One big...magical accident.”

“So... your head says one thing but, your body says another?” Scootaloo asked, studying Alex's face.

“I think that’s close enough, but your head is who you are, so I follow what my head says.”

“I get it.” Scootaloo nodded. “Can I tell Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle? I wouldn't want them to think you’re a filly or anything.”

“Sure. I’m probably going to meet them soon enough anyways since I have to go to school for history and math classes here. Stupid base four notation.”

“Okay.” Scootaloo smiled, buzzing her wings again. “I have to go catch up with Bloom and Sweetie before we're late for school. See ya, Dash! Bye, Alex!” Pushing off, Scootaloo zipped off at a speed that would make a motor scooter jealous.

“Nice kid,” Alex commented, standing up. “Damn, she's fast on that thing.”

“Yeah, but she’s only fast on that thing. We’re not sure what it is, but she can’t seem to push any air down, only back. Twilight’s been looking into it in her free time, and the little kid has more than enough wingpower to fly, but it’s all going back and up instead of down.” Dash shifted uncomfortably for a moment. “And uh, I'm sorry my first reaction was to start laughing. You aren't mad at Scoots or anything, are you?”

“What? No, of course not. I mean, it’s probably true since I’m pretty sure I’m not interested in guys, and my body is female. That...that’s pretty much the common definition of ‘lesbian’ if your world really doesn’t have any transgender people.” Alex gave a smile. “Besides, I'd much rather be compared to who I would assume are her role models over anything else.”

“Her aunts love her, and I know she appreciates them. Anyways, let’s get going again, the old library’s not that far off now.”

True to her word, what was left of the old library was just a few minutes away. The charred stump marred the ground like an ugly scar and Alex could only wonder what it had been like before. Kneeling beside it, he placed a hand on the blackened wood. “Must have sucked, losing a home like this.”

“I guess it must have meant a lot to her, and I know my cloud-house is special to me since I built most of it myself.” Dash landed besides him, gazing wistfully at the stump. “Everypony’s got memories of this place. Can't tell you how many times I crashed in through the window.”

“Memories…” Alex snapped his fingers a few times, an idea forming in his head. “Hey, uh, Discord, can you hear me? If you can, I could use your help with something!”

“You’re lucky I’m bored this early in the morning.” Discord floated up from behind Rainbow Dash and yawned widely as he looked around. “Mischief, prank, or some goody-four-shoes action?”

“The last one.” Alex straightened up, pointing at the stump. “I got an idea with this thing and I need your help.” Regarding Dash, he pat her head. “You can head back to the castle. Tell Rarity I think she should spruce up the dining hall.”

“Okay. if Fluttershy gets back first I’ll just tell her you’re with her coltfriend.” Dash smirked at Discord before flying off in a different direction than the castle.

“Alright, so we’re on a good mission here? Can’t say it’s my favorite thing to do, but I would like to help make this mess up to Twilight.” Discord actually sounded a little sad as he looked over the destroyed library.

“Look on the bright side, you get brownie points with your girl by hanging out with her kid,” Alex pointed out, clapping him on the back. “Now, here's what I got in mind...”

Twilight trotted through the castles front doors, carrying Spike on her back. “Well that was an eventful spa trip.”

“Are you sure you didn’t want the free massage offer? You could have at least taken the coupon to give to Rarity or somepony.” Spike grumbled softly from her back, looking only slightly worried.

“Rarity practically has a spa discount, given how much she's there,” Twilight countered. “For now I'll just... Do some reading. Maybe see about checking up on Alex.”

“What would you need to check up on Alex for? I know he’s fine with Fluttershy and Discord, and he helped the girls out today.”

“Helped them out with what?” Twilight inquired, looking back at him with a cocked eyebrow. “Spike, is there something you’re not telling me?”

“More like something all of us didn’t tell you, but you’re probably going to like it. Rarity asked me to take you to the spa so they could all do something for you here.” Spike smiled widely and pointed back towards the way they’d been going. “Go on, you know you want to see it.”

Twilight held herself back from galloping through the doors to the throne room. “Girls? You know, you really didn't need to do anything for me.” Grasping the handles in her magic, she pulled them up.

“Surprise!” Seven voices rang out in unison as the doors opened into the dining room, and revealed a room that had just a tiny bit of obvious changes from everyone involved. The crystal walls had been accented with wood mouldings to break up the bland expanses, and a set of thin curtains brought the light coming in through the windows down to a level where it wasn’t causing blinding reflections off the facets in the room. A potted assortment of flowers was in the middle of the table, and the flowers were the official colors of the wonderbolts, with the table itself covered in a smattering of confetti that was changing colors every so often. No one thing was trying to overwhelm the others.

Twilight stammered, eyes talking in every last details. “Girls, y-you didn't have to do all of this,” she protested weakly, though the words died when her gaze landed on her smiling friends.

“We kinda did, Twilight. We had to find some way to make you feel more comfortable at home.” Rainbow Dash flew over and placed a decent-sized gift box down in front of Twilight. “I figured you probably lost yours, so I made a really quick trip to find a good replacement set for you…”

“Ah gave yer kitchen a mighty fine homestead makeover,” Applejack informed, tipping her hat.

“I made sure to stock you up on quality baking supplies and a few other fun things. Oh, and there might be a few party cannons hidden in your closets for extra surprises later!”

“I turned a room into a perfect living nook for Owlicious. Oh, and the flowers. I put flowers in every room that had a window for you.”

“I also put some Daring Do posters up in your library and I threw together a little work out room for ya “ Dash added, puffing her chest out.

“And I... really went a bit overboard with the decorations in here initially, but the girls, and Alex, managed to talk me out of most of them, and down to this much better presentation. Then I helped them out a bit with some extra touches added to their rooms, like a better layout for Rainbow Dash’s equipment, and the right lighting for the kitchen so it was a bit brighter. You get the idea.”

Discord smiled, putting his paw on Twilight's head. “The credit for this last renovation goes to Alex. It was his idea, I just helped.” Tilting Twilight's head up, he pointed to the new object grafted to the ceiling.

A massive root system graced the ceiling, the bottom of the roots either merging with the walls close by and visibly extending into them, or holding small gemstone ornaments that sparkled with an inner light that would occasionally shine out as images of the six of them having fun, or on an adventure. Some of these images were clearly from memories, lacking a key member, and others were stylized to look like they were shaped from stained glass.

“With your permission, Twilight, I’d like to copy a few of your memories so that there’s some from your point of view in the mix as well.”

Twilight sniffled, feeling warm tears streaming down her face. “T-that's so... So sweet.” She hiccuped, fighting and failing to hold back a sob. “T-thank you so much.”

“Aw, wasn't nothing Twilight.” Closing the gap, Applejack pulled Twilight into a hug. “Yer our friend. We can't have ya uncomfortable in yer own home.”

The rest of the girls joined in, turning the hug into a group affair. Alex stood in the doorway, watching the scene unfold. To his surprise, Twilight regarded him with a warm smile and an inviting wing. Gingerly stepping over, he knelt down and joined the hug.

A shared warmth spread through him, washing away his anxieties and worries. For the moment, everyone was happy. They accepted him, made him feel welcome. He hid his own tears, simply content to partake in the love.

Discord was the only one to stand apart for this, but a silent gesture quickly saw a new crystal appear above with this group hug from his point of view embedded within.

Alex frowned as he closed the button on his new pair of pants only to find that there was a fair bit of slack in the waist despite feeling perfect elsewhere. “I dunno, Rarity, it’s a bit loose around the waist,” he commented, glancing at the mirror. “Anything you can do to tighten em up a bit or something?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I was working off of the larger measurements Discord provided. I thought the smaller set was a mismeasurement for someplace higher on your body.” Rarity stepped forward and carefully lit her horn to surround the waistband of the jeans to hold them close to his skin without pinching. “This would have been easier if you’d just agreed to model these for me. Even if Discord was willing to help, I thought he wasn’t beyond pulling a prank.”

“Maybe next time,” he offered weakly, doing his best to stay still. “You’re going to have to talk measurements again anyway. Human females have wider hips than males do, and mine are likely still growing.”

“Ah yes. I remember you telling me about this. If I recall, you said humans have greater differences between the sexes than height and muzzle shape.” Rarity hummed, levitating over a few tools and other requirements. “Do you have any inkling on how you’ll turn out.”

“Not really other than just, well, bigger everywhere? I mean, I’m back down to fourteen and humans can grow into their early twenties.”

“Ah, and you wouldn’t have any ideas from relatives because of the whole fictional character thing. I can see that this will become problematic soon, but Fluttershy and I will work something out.” A thin measuring ribbon was placed against the waistband and held carefully. “Alright dear, do me a quick favor and adjust the fit yourself so that it’s comfortable for you. Just slip your hands under the fabric and give yourself a little room, okay?”

“Right.” Alex gingerly moved his hands under the hem of his pants, wiggling them around for a moment. “I think this is good. Yeah, this is good, let’s go with this.”

A little head peeked into the room, observing them. “Rarity, is Alex almost done? We’re going to be late,” the little pony squeaked, watching Rarity’s magic closely. “Rarity?”

“Just a minute, Sweetie. You wouldn’t want me to slip right now.” The tape measure cinched in tight around the fabric once more, this time without causing the jeans to tighten in turn, and a small mark appeared at the point of overlap. “Alright, that’s that exact measurement taken, and now the quick adjustment. Alex, don’t move.”

Once Alex nodded in understanding, a needle zipped over and began to make quick and careful stitches in key places to hold the jeans right at that point where they fit him just right. A little over five minutes later she had declared the stitches ‘serviceable’ and ushered the two youngsters out the door and on their way off to school for the day.

“So... Scootaloo told me you’re a boy lesbian. What’s a lesbian?”